Team Names

Re "Sticks and Stones and Sports Team Names," Commentary, Oct. 29: I don't mean to be politically incorrect, but where was Richard Estrada when so many of us were insulted watching the Yankees, Patriots and Cowboys play? Come to think of it, I didn't hear any of those pioneers complain. Oops, I guess I should complain about the Simi Valley High School Pioneers. Too confusing for me. Let's hope the animal activists don't read this. What of endangered species like the timber wolf?

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has come under increasing pressure to change his team's name because some people believe it is offensive to Native Americans. Through it all Snyder has insisted that he will keep the Redskins moniker, saying that he wishes to honor those tribes and their heritage. To that end, Snyder announced in a letter to fans Monday that he is forming the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation "to provide meaningful and measurable resources that provide genuine opportunities for Tribal communities.

Considering the kind of season they're having, I suggested the other day that it might not be inappropriate to change the name of the Los Angeles Raiders, a National Football League team, to the Los Angeles Turtledoves. I took the name from a Mrs. Laura Turtledove of Canoga Park, who had written to observe that the St. Louis Cardinals should not have kept the name Cardinals when they moved to Phoenix, Ariz., because there are no cardinals in Arizona.

So Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins professional football team, visited 26 Native American reservations over four months and discovered a reality that just about everyone else in the country already knew . Native Americans on reservations are disproportionately mired in poverty; affected by alcoholism, diabetes and elevated suicide rates, among other health issues; and lack many of the basic necessities of modern life, including...

Surprised to find himself in the eye of a cultural firestorm, the organizer of an Irvine flag football tournament for young Islamic men said Thursday that he will urge participants to change team names, which have angered some religious leaders. "I'm going to lay out what happened and tell [the players] the seriousness of the situation," said organizer Tarek Shawky, the 29-year-old captain of the squad called the Intifada.

To John O'Brien, principal of Torrance High, his school has "a harmless nickname": the Tartars. The name, chosen almost 80 years ago, mostly for its alliteration quotient, refers to the Turkic and Mongolian peoples who invaded Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages. The fact that Tartars are a people long gone, O'Brien said, is an added bonus. "It doesn't create big issues." At least, not yet.

I got my first lesson in Indians portrayed as sports team mascots in the early 1950s when my father took me to a Cleveland Indians-New York Yankees game. Dad gave me money to buy a baseball cap, and I was conflicted. I loved the Yankees, primarily because fellow Oklahoman Mickey Mantle had just come up and was being touted as rookie of the year. But being mixed-blood Muscogee/Creek, I felt a (misplaced) loyalty to the Indians. So I bought the Cleveland cap with the famous Chief Wahoo logo on it. When we got back to Oklahoma, my mother took one look at the cap with its leering, big-nosed, buck-toothed redskin caricature just above the brim, jerked it off my head and threw it in the trash.

It is unfortunate that those at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, with its Museum of Tolerance, are not so tolerant when it comes to Muslim football team names (Dec. 12). Rabbi Abraham Cooper wants people to think that the teams are honoring terrorists by using names such as Intifada. They are not. They are just young Americans who like to play football. Their choices of team names were merely in support of legitimate struggle, not terrorism. The Simon Wiesenthal Center should stop trying to take advantage of these innocent young Americans to further its own political agenda.

As a longtime Dodger fan, I've seen some changes in the game that have been hard to swallow--AstroTurf, the DH, Steve Sax in pinstripes. . . . And now, the Padres printed in boldface in The Los Angeles Times baseball standings. What a sellout. ANTHONY MORETTI Lomita Editor's note: Not anymore. The use of boldface type for team names in the standings has been discontinued.

The Daily Telegraph consulted Brazilians in London to learn the background of various team names. Among the gems they came up with: Carlos Verri is Dunga, which translates as Dopey, because he was thought when young to resemble one of the Seven Dwarfs. Jorginho translates as Little George, Zinho as Tiny, Branco as Whitey, and Bebeto as Bobby. Cafu, the Telegraph was told, "is impossible to translate literally, but you could say it's to do with scratching your head."

Sixteen teams were selected Friday to be part of the new Southern Section Open Division boys' basketball playoffs, and let's just say there were some surprises. For one, powerhouse Long Beach Poly (19-7), the Moore League champion, did not get chosen. Instead, second-place Compton (22-5) was put in, along with two teams from the Camino Real League - Los Angeles Cathedral (22-3) and Montebello Cantwell-Sacred Heart (20-6). Also not chosen was Lake Forest El Toro (24-2), considered the second-best team in Orange County behind unbeaten Santa Ana Mater Dei. Much emphasis appears to be have been given to strength of schedule and quality victories.

Let's play a little word association. If you hear "jazz," what's the first thing that pops into your mind? Utah, right? Because nothing says "Dixieland" like the Beehive State. Or how about velociraptor, the dinosaur made famous in the movie "Jurassic Park"? Makes you think of Toronto, doesn't it? And what conjures thoughts of a cool mountain lake better then a desert? So it makes perfect sense that the first NBA team to play in Los Angeles should be called the Lakers. Well, not exactly.

Re "School's mascot sparks criticism," Nov. 8 It's difficult to believe that this is the first time in Coachella Valley Unified School District Supt. Darryl Adams' 25-year career that he has heard criticism of Coachella Valley High School's mascot. The mascot, the "Arab," is portrayed with grotesquely exaggerated features including an overly large nose and what could be interpreted as a sinister grin with clenched teeth. An appropriate solution is apparent. Ohio State University has Brutus Buckeye, and Stanford has "the tree.

"Think for a moment about the term 'Redskins,'" NBC Sports commentator Bob Costas exhorted viewers during his halftime tirade of Sunday's Cowboys-Redskins game. "Ask yourself what the equivalent would be, if directed [at] African Americans. Hispanics. Asians. Or members of any other ethnic group. When considered that way, 'Redskins' can't possibly honor a heritage or a noble character trait, nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term. "It is an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present-day intent," Costas continued.

Seven-time U.S. national time trial winner Dave Zabriskie and five-time Olympian George Hincapie were not named to the U.S. road racing team Friday. Beijing Olympian Levi Leipheimer had withdrawn his name because of continuing problems with a leg injury. All have been reported in various publications as having been contacted by either a federal grand jury or the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the national athletic drug enforcement organization, in connection with continuing investigations into possible doping by Lance Armstrong.

Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge made it very hard for Team USA officials. It was deemed too difficult to select only 18 finalists for the U.S. Olympic team, so 20 were unveiled Monday. Griffin and Aldridge jumped onto a short list of players trying to represent the U.S. in London this year. They had not been included in Team USA's plans until this month. The addition of Griffin symbolizes his growing acclaim as a player and personality for the Clippers. At age 22, he is the youngest finalist.

Hollywood money Re " Mayor meets Hollywood ," Business, Aug. 25 Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa did not need to meet with film executives to solicit ideas on how to make Los Angeles a more film-friendly city. The answer is quite simple: Villaraigosa should do everything in his power to assure that Los Angeles is the most inexpensive city in the nation to film in. Not only would this bring back thousands of outsourced entertainment jobs to Los Angeles, but it would also secure the support of Hollywood in a future bid for the governorship.

I got my first lesson in Indians portrayed as sports team mascots in the early 1950s when my father took me to a Cleveland Indians-New York Yankees game. Dad gave me money to buy a baseball cap, and I was conflicted. I loved the Yankees, primarily because fellow Oklahoman Mickey Mantle had just come up and was being touted as rookie of the year. But being mixed-blood Muscogee/Creek, I felt a (misplaced) loyalty to the Indians. So I bought the Cleveland cap with the famous Chief Wahoo logo on it. When we got back to Oklahoma, my mother took one look at the cap with its leering, big-nosed, buck-toothed redskin caricature just above the brim, jerked it off my head and threw it in the trash.